Electronic Article Surveillance (“EAS”) systems are detection systems that allow the detection of a marker or tag within a given detection region. EAS systems have many uses, but most often they are used as security systems to prevent shoplifting from stores or removal of property from office buildings. EAS systems come in many different forms and make use of a number of different technologies.
A typical EAS system includes an electronic detection EAS unit, markers and/or tags, and a detacher or deactivator. The detection unit includes transmitter and receiver antennas and is used to detect any active markers or tags brought within the range of the detection unit. The antenna portions of the detection units can, for example, be bolted to floors as pedestals, buried under floors, mounted on walls, or hung from ceilings. The detection units are usually placed in high traffic areas, such as entrances and exits of stores or office buildings. The deactivators transmit signals used to detect and/or deactivate the tags.
The markers and/or tags have special characteristics and are specifically designed to be affixed to or embedded in merchandise or other objects sought to be protected. When an active marker passes through the detection unit, the alarm is sounded, a light is activated, and/or some other suitable control devices are set into operation indicating the removal of the marker from the proscribed detection region covered by the detection unit.
Most EAS systems operate using the same general principles. The detection unit includes one or more transmitters and receivers. The transmitter sends a signal at defined frequencies across the detection region. For example, in a retail store, placing the transmitter and receiver on opposite sides of a checkout aisle or an exit usually forms the detection region. When a marker enters the region, it creates a disturbance to the signal being sent by the transmitter. For example, the marker may alter the signal sent by the transmitter by using a simple semiconductor junction, a tuned circuit composed of an inductor and capacitor, soft magnetic strips or wires, or vibrating resonators. The marker may also alter the signal by repeating the signal for a period of time after the transmitter terminates the signal transmission. This disturbance caused by the marker is subsequently detected by the receiver through the receipt of a signal having an expected frequency, the receipt of a signal at an expected time, or both. As an alternative to the basic design described above, the receiver and transmitter units, including their respective antennas, can be mounted in a single housing.
Power management/saving systems are common in the art. Typical power saving and management systems use traditional timers to shut down appliances, tools, and machines when not in use, and power these products back up again when their use is desired. During “down” times, in order to conserve energy, the powered machines are completely shut down. Further, typical power management systems group all powered tools or machines together on one schedule resulting in an impractical energy management system not to mention the inefficiencies of having to power up all machines if only some are to be in use at a given time.
Many power management systems base power conservation on separate timers. Strict interval-based timers have not worked well in power management systems because the timers tend to drift and are affected by actual and unforeseen power outages. This is not practical for EAS systems since this will result in the EAS equipment not being powered up when it should be. Further, most EAS equipment should not be “unplugged” or powered off completely, which is what occurs when they are connected to timers, since this can result in data loss and can make applications such as alarm management and other data-logging processes useless.
Other power management systems provide rigid, inflexible time schedules that schedule each device within a particular store or building. There is no centralized facility that receives power status information from each device in many locations and alters schedules accordingly. For example, while a weekday evening may be normally considered a slow time for retail shoppers, and therefore a feasible time to power down store equipment, other events (back to school rush, holiday, a large event at a mall that might bring people into the store) might alter the power mode schedules of the store devices. Further, feedback from store devices might give indications that certain regions within a retail store are not frequented at certain times and therefore many devices in those regions can enter a power save mode.
In addition, many other power management systems can only be altered by regional store managers, if at all. Other scheduling systems are canned software packages and cannot be altered at all. There is often a need for regional store managers, or local store managers to easily access their store's power mode schedules and alter them according to any of the reasons outlined above.
Therefore, what is needed is a flexible system and method for controlling, monitoring and managing the power usage of individual and/or groups of components in an electronic article surveillance system.